Justin McNulty lauds Laois' 'strength of character' after last-gasp Tailteann Cup win over Offaly

Laois senior football manager Justin McNulty lauded the grit and togetherness of his squad following their thrilling 3-18 to 3-16 Tailteann Cup victory over Offaly in Newbridge on Saturday evening.

A dramatic last-minute penalty from Mark Barry sealed the result in a rollercoaster encounter, and while the finish was dramatic, McNulty was far more focused on the substance of the performance.

“I think after the body blows the fella’s have taken this season, it's a testament to their character to be able to come out and deliver a performance like that,” he said.

“The thing I'm most impressed by is the fact that during that game, we gave away a huge amount of turnovers and we were punished badly for them. They scored 1-11 off our turnovers, which were largely unforced. It would have been very easy to throw the head up and say flip, this is not my day, we'll just pack it in here and give up. It could have been so easy to do that. But, they didn't, they dug in, they found something deep inside themselves, and they just eked out a result there. They had to work so, so hard for it. Mental toughness is a very cliched term, but Jesus Christ, did our boys exhibit mental toughness in spade loads today. I'm very blessed, lucky and fortunate to be involved with a group of players like that who have that strength of character to be able to do that; it's phenomenal. That sort of mental toughness could take you anywhere.”

McNulty emphasised that the resilience shown was the product of months of collective effort, especially amid a spate of injuries that forced Laois to dip deep into their bench throughout the campaign.

“It's more than just today as well. We've had lots of injury problems, and we've had to go deep into our squad. This year, when we brought the group together, we talked about how we're going to need our full squad, and the boys have bought into that. Fellas who haven’t had game time are now playing, starting and delivering big roles for us; that's hugely positive. But we do know, we're not in fairyland here, we know we've got a huge, huge challenge ahead of us next week. We're going to be playing against a number two-seeded team. It's going to be an away draw, so it could be against a big gun and it's going to be a really, really tough proposition. But we'll go with a positive frame of mind and see where it takes us.”

One of the key tactical decisions that paid dividends was the decision to push Portlaoise's Damon Larkin into full-forward. The move brought a new edge to the Laois attack and drew praise from McNulty, though he was quick to point to where the credit lies.

“Diarmuid (Carroll) and Ross (Munnelly) deserve all the credit on that one; that was their move, and it worked incredibly well in terms of getting the goal. Then Damon came back into midfield and did a big steadying job in midfield as well. So yes, he was a threat, he created a different dynamic to the team totally in that role, and it's something we may deploy again. So we'll just see where that goes next week.”

Another positive came from Laois’ improved execution on their own restarts, with one of Larkin’s goals coming directly from a well-worked Killian Roche kick-out. McNulty credited the players and backroom staff alike for that success, while noting the need to tighten up defensively on the other end.

“The fellas are doing immense work in their own time to study formations, study kick-outs, and see what works best. That paid off as Killian nailed them very effectively, but it's a group effort, and they take ownership of it, and they're delivering on it. With the framework put in place by Ross and Diarmuid, that's something they should be very proud of but they know it's going to have to be improved, it's got to be better next week and we're going to have to be much more expert in interrupting and interfering with the opposition's kick-out, which probably could have been better today.”

Laois stayed in the game with a flurry of two-pointers during the second half, which kept Offaly within reach. McNulty was keen to recognise the impact of newer players who stood up in crucial moments.

“Fair play to Michael Doran, he's not long in the panel and for him to come in and show that maturity, it's a credit to him. We're lucky to have him, and it takes guts to step up and take those chances. The boys did that very effectively, and only for them, we were beaten, simple.”

There were emotional celebrations at full-time as players embraced family members, and McNulty acknowledged how powerful those moments are for the group and the wider county, while also warning against losing focus.

“It was great to see the players out there enjoying the aftermath with their families, with joy in their hearts and pride. That's something that the Laois people should be very proud of, the performance that this team delivered today, and we're not getting carried away. We expect to be in a competitive scenario with Offaly all the time and now it's move on to the next one. We haven't time to clap ourselves on the back, we've got to very quickly shift our focus onto a tough, tough proposition next weekend.”

The Laois boss revealed that the squad took personal responsibility after their below-par showing against Wicklow in Round 2. He believes the players’ response on Saturday spoke volumes.

“The players asked the questions themselves, the players knew that they were better than the performance they delivered against Wicklow. They were hurting, and they were, to a degree, ashamed. They wanted to rectify it, and they did that in bucketfuls today, and it's a testament to the character of the fellas, and they know that today's performance won't be good enough for next weekend as well. They know that with that level of turnovers, we’ll be on a wing and a prayer to try and get over the line the next day, so we have to tighten up hugely. Otherwise, we're no hopers next weekend.”

McNulty didn’t shy away from acknowledging the mistakes made on the day, but he ended his post-match comments by once again applauding his team’s refusal to fold under pressure.

“We knew we were the masters of our own downfall for many of the scores that they scored consecutively. We were in control at half-time because we were only one point down. We knew we were still in the game so we were just focusing on performing in the second half and staying in the game. We knew we had to work our scores and to be fair, the players did that effectively. We made it way harder for ourselves than it needed to be, but as I said, it could have been a game where we could have just laid down and said it's not our day, but the players dug deep and dug it out.”

READ NEXT: Tailteann Cup draw made as Laois discover their preliminary quarter-final opponents

READ NEXT: IN PICTURES: Laois GAA fans and players celebrate thrilling Tailteann Cup win over Offaly